


First Day

by Fyre



Series: Ne'er So Fair [10]
Category: Bad Education (UK TV)
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 03:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1181535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyre/pseuds/Fyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first day of school always was a nerve-wracking experience. And that was just for the parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Day

“There. Don’t you look smart.”

Oscar looked down at his school uniform, then pulled a face. “Look like a tit.”

Frank smothered a snort, and Stephen turned a glare on him. Frank raised his hands, but Stephen could see he was trying not to grin.

“You’re a bad influence,” Stephen sniffed. He looked back at Oscar, and straightened his tie. “I think you look very handsome.”

Oscar ran out into the hall and checked himself in the mirror, then ran back, grinning. “I look like daddy Frank when he wants to make someone pay him.” He put his small hands on his hips and did a far too accurate impression of Frank’s worst glower.

This time, Stephen was the one who stifled a chuckle.

“I don’t do that,” Frank protested, but Stephen could hear the pride in his voice.

“Do too,” Oscar said, giggling. “When that man called daddy Stephen a poof, you did it. The man ran away.”

Stephen got up off the floor, smoothing Oscar’s coat over his shoulders. He glanced at Frank, recalling that day far too well. They’d been out at the park together, and they’d been sitting on a bench, holding hands for once, while Oscar played.

Some stupid teenager had yelled out insults at them.

Stephen couldn’t remember seeing anyone move as fast as that kid when Frank surged to his feet and stormed towards him. When Frank Grayson got pissed off, he could terrify anyone at fifty paces.

The only people who weren’t afraid of him were the ones who’d seen him shuffling around the house in his boxers and Tweety Bird slippers.

“Well, okay,” Frank agreed, bending and scooping Oscar up under the arms, and tossing him into the air, making him whoop. “One time.”

Oscar flung his arms around Frank’s shoulders. “Are you coming to school with me?”

Frank tugged on his tie, straightening it. “We’ll come as far as the gates, yeah?” he said, and his voice went all gentle and soft like it always did with Oscar. Stephen liked listening to him like that, when every last one of Frank’s defences went down, and he was himself. “But they don’t let us in schools. We’re too big.”

Oscar stared at him, then hugged Frank hard around the neck and hid his face. “Don’t wanna go.”

Frank glanced at Stephen, and as one, they moved towards the sofa, sitting down. Oscar was nestled on Frank’s lap, but Stephen put his arms around him as well.

“It’s not bad,” he said. “You’ll meet new friends and play with new toys and learn things.”

“And,” Frank added, “you’ll get to be smart in your suit.”

“Ain’t a suit,” Oscar mumbled. “Uniform. Daddy Stephen said.”

Frank hoisted Oscar up and set him on his feet between Frank’s knees. He leaned back, critically, turning his head this way and that. “Got a tie, just like mine. Got a jacket. Got a shirt. Got trousers and smart shoes. Looks like a suit to me.”

Oscar stuck out his tongue. “Everyone wears it! It’s all the same!”

“I know what’s missing,” Stephen said, squeezing Frank’s knee. “You have your tie-pin. A proper grown up always has a tie-pin.”

As if they hadn’t been planning it at all, Frank managed to look convinced. “Yeah, s’right,” he agreed. He looked at Stephen. “If only we had a tie-pin for Ozzy to use. Then he would feel like a real grown up!”

Stephen had to press his lips together to keep them from twitching. Frank was many things, but he definitely wasn’t an actor. “Maybe,” he said, his voice only a little choked with amusement, “Oscar should go and look in the bottom drawer of the sideboard.”

Oscar’s brown eyes widened, and he squeaked excitedly, running for the drawer.

“How was that?” Frank muttered.

Stephen kissed the corner of his mouth. “Don’t give up the day job, babes.”

Frank smacked him on the thigh, then claimed another kiss.

“A present!” Oscar squealed.

Stephen reluctantly pulled back. “Is it, babes?”

Oscar scurried back over, holding out the box. “Can I open it?”

“Of course, you can,” Stephen said, smiling. It was only a little forced, because Frank’s hand was movingly distractingly on his thigh. He covered Frank’s fingers firmly with his own, and squeezed in warning.

They had a deal. 

Once Oscar was out of the house, they could have their first proper shag by daylight in over a year. But Oscar wasn’t of the house yet, and the last thing Stephen wanted to explain at the school gates was why daddy was walking like a cowboy.

Oscar tore into the wrapper, his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth.

Inside the wrapper, there was a small box, and he opened it, and did a little hop on the spot.

“An air plane!” he exclaimed. “It’s an air plane!”

“And it goes on your tie like daddy Frank’s tie-pin.”

Oscar shoved it at Stephen. “Put it on!” he said eagerly, puffing out his chest and holding out the tie in front of him. He watched intently as Stephen carefully pinned in place in the middle of his tie, and Oscar turned his head this way and that to examine it.

“Good?” Frank asked, a soft smile on his face.

Oscar beamed at him and ran back to the mirror in the hall to check how it looked. “I look just like daddy Frank now!” he said, skipping back. “It’s a proper suit now!”

“A proper suit for a proper big man to go to school in, eh?”

Oscar’s smile only wavered for a second, then he nodded. “I’ll go and be the smartest one there,” he said, putting his hands on his hips and sticking out his skinny chest. He looked around, then yelped. “My bag!”

“Upstairs, on the end of your bed,” Stephen said fondly. Oscar fled, running up the stairs, and Stephen sideways against Frank’s arm. “D’you think he’ll be all right?”

“He’s a tough little brat,” Frank said, putting his arm comfortingly around Stephen’s shoulder. “He was fine at nursery. No reason school should be a problem.”

Stephen gave him a look. “You do remember school, don’t you?”

Frank snorted. “Course,” he said, “and I remember the warnings signs an’ all.” He leaned closer and kissed Stephen’s brow. “Stop buzzing about up there. Y’know I only keep you around cos you’re pretty. I don’t want any of that thinking shit.”

Stephen swatted him on the thigh, still leaning into him. “I’m trying not to panic and resort to home schooling,” he admitted.

“And let him get teased as a home-school tosspot for the rest of his life?” Frank snorted. “I think school’d be more merciful.” He lifted his hand and turned Stephen’s face to his, kissing him firmly on the lips. “He’ll go to school, and he’ll make friends, and he’ll be more popular that we was.”

Stephen wrinkled his nose playfully. “Speak for yourself,” he said. “Everybody loved me.” He leaned closer, his voice lowered to a whisper, “Especially that prick who used to pick on anyone.”

“Yeah,” Frank said, his eyes glinting. “I wonder what happened to that bastard.”

Stephen kissed him again, lightly. “Heard he ended up married to the most beautiful creature to ever walk God’s green earth with the most perfect little boy,” he murmured against Frank’s lips. “Lucky man.”

“I’ll say,” Frank growled, then pinned him back against the arm of the couch and kissed him. Stephen smiled against his lips, wrapping his arms around him, and they were still at it when Oscar said loudly, “You look like you is eating his face off.” 

Frank flushed, but sat up, grinning. “Close, brat,” he said, getting up. “You get your bag?”

Oscar turned around, showing off his West Ham backpack. 

“Looks good, don’t it, Millwall?” Frank said, turning with a smirk.

Stephen just rolled his eyes.

It was a source of neverending smugness for Frank that Oscar preferred Frank’s team to Millwall. But Stephen got his own back by making sure that Oscar loved Wicked. The first song he learned all the words to was “Defying Gravity”, and every time he sang it around Frank, Frank would get quiet, and smile the quiet little smile that was kept just for them.

Stephen got up from the couch, watching as Frank went down on one knee, and straightened Oscar’s tie and blazer. Oscar beamed proudly at him, and accepted a kiss on the forehead.

“You ready, little man?”

Oscar hesitated for a moment. “Let’s kick some arse!” he said holding up both fists.

Frank snorted, knocking his own fists gently against Oscar’s. “That’s my boy.” He got up, and offered Oscar his hand. Oscar grabbed it at once. “And tonight, when we’re all home, you get to choose what we have for dinner.”

Oscar’s eyes lit up. “Can I?” he asked, looking at Stephen.

Stephen smiled. “For your first day in big school? I think you can,” he said. “You think hard and tell us when we pick you up, all right?”

Oscar nodded happily and pulled on Frank’s hand. “Can we go now? I want to go, so I can come home and make dinner!”

Frank shot an amused look at Stephen. “You’ve created a fu-unbelievable monster.”

Stephen’s lips twitched, as he snatched up his camera and car keys. “Nice recovery,” he said, shooing them out the door.

“Arsehole,” Frank muttered in a stage-whisper, which made Oscar break into giggles.

Stephen gave him a look as he unlocked the door of their car parked in the drive. “You’re going to pay for that, Mr Grayson,” he said.

Frank gave him a heated look. “Counting on it,” he said, as he helped Oscar into the car.

Stephen couldn’t understand how a man he’d been married to for almost four years could still make him blush like a schoolgirl. Didn’t mean he didn’t like it. Still, he gave Frankie a firm kick on the arse as he passed to walk around to the other side of the car.

Inside the car, he could hear Oscar giggling, and he smiled.

Things were definitely good.


End file.
